Humans have long used artificially induced air flows, to cool themselves during warm weather. Floor and table mounted propellor fans came into widespread use with mass production of fractional horsepower electric motors. By increasing airflow, fans increase evaporative cooling from the body skin, thereby cooling a person. They also may circulate comparatively cool air to warm areas. Fans are attractive to consumers, compared to, or in addition to, air conditioners, because they are of comparatively lower cost.
Of course, the further the fan from the person being cooled, the less the effectiveness of cooling. On the other hand if the fan is too small or too close--or if air only comes from one direction--then the extent of cooling is limited, particularly when one's whole body--or more than one person--requires cooling.
It has long been common to have fans mounted on poles which are adjustable for height and angle in vertical and horizontal planes to aim the air flow. See for instance U.S. Design Pat. No. 311,772 to Yang, U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,731 to Hart, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,608 to Cornelius. Generally, floor mounted pole fans have tended to be physically large, for blowing air over large areas. If the fan air flow is made larger, cost, power consumption, and noise rise. In both pole and table top fans, it has long been known to have mechanisms that cause the fan assembly to oscillate from side-to-side to widen distribution of air. But, of course, the more complicated the aiming or adjusting mechanisms, and the more the degrees of freedom, the more costly the devices may be to the consumer.
Another consideration for mass marketing of consumer goods is that a fan be susceptible to being shipped disassembled, or "knocked-down" in a compact box, provided the parts may be easily assembled by the consumer.
Thus, there is a continuing need for resolving the competing needs for a fan apparatus so it is effective in achieving the desired purposes of cooling and moving air in different directions, but at the same time economic to manufacture and capable of being shipped in "knocked-down" condition.